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Looting breaks out in Mexico after Wilma
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-24 11:13
Mexicans and stranded tourists, hungry and frustrated after a two-day beating
by Hurricane Wilma, stood in line to buy supplies Sunday or simply raided
grocery or furniture stores, dragging goods from shops ripped open by the storm.
The hurricane's steady march toward southern Florida meant an end here to two
days of howling winds and torrential rains that shattered windows, peeled away
roofing and sent the ocean crashing into hotel lobbies. The sun emerged over
Mexico's sugar-white Caribbean beaches.
Wilma regained its Category 3 status late Sunday, with sustained winds of 115
mph, after it returned to open waters and headed toward southern Florida, the
National Hurricane Center said. It had weakened to a Category 2 hurricane after
making landfall in Mexico.
In Cancun, chaos took over, as police shot into the air to scare looters away
from a shopping center, and looters responded by throwing rocks and chunks of
concrete.
Downtown, officials feared looters would turn on tourists, so they quickly
evacuated more than 30 foreigners from a downtown area overrun by people raiding
stores. Military officials and police stood guard outside businesses and set up
checkpoints to seize stolen goods.
"It's chaos," said fire official Gregorio Vergara. "They are taking things
all over the city."
One group of residents pushed carts against the boarded-up windows of a
grocery store in an attempt to break in. At a convenience store, Cancun resident
Alex Aguilar took batteries and aspirin.
"The window was broken, so we just went in and got what we wanted," he said.
Others waited in long lines at the few stores that were open. Some American
tourists without local currency offered $100 bills for $5 calling cards.
Meanwhile, military aid convoys rolled into the resort town, handing out
bottled water and medical aid. City officials distributed food packages of rice,
beans, crackers and cooking oil to people standing in lines that stretched for
blocks.
Larry Lowman, of Beaufort, S.C., carried away armloads of emergency supplies
for the shelter where he was staying. "It's an expedition to bring food for
everybody," he said.
There was little food left on the isolated island of Cozumel, as well, making
some people anxious.
"Right now, there is nothing to buy on the island," resident Daniela Ayala
told The Associated Press by telephone. "People are in the streets looking for
food, and they are starting to get desperate."
The storm knocked out many of the island's docks, making it difficult for
navy ships to arrive. State officials were trying to clear airstrips on Cozumel
and nearby Isla Mujeres so that planes could land with aid. President Vicente
Fox said the government would send helicopters, as well.
State officials said at least three people died during the storm: one by a
falling tree and two others when a gas tank exploded. Four badly decomposed
bodies were also found floating in flood waters on Cozumel, but officials said
it was unclear if the deaths were related to the storm.
Last week, Wilma killed 13 people in Jamaica and Haiti.
It drenched western Cuba with heavy rains and flooded communities along the
coast. Officials had evacuated more than 625,000 people from their homes in
recent days.
Rainfall of up to 15 inches was possible in some parts of the country, but
Wilma was not expected to make landfall, the U.S. National Hurricane Center
said.
President Fidel Castro appeared on a television program to calm Cubans
anticipating increased winds and potential overnight flooding on the northern
coast.
At 8 p.m., Wilma was centered about 170 miles west-southwest of Key West and
moving northeast at about 15 mph, the Hurricane Center said.
As the storm crossed the Gulf of Mexico, forecasters said they saw no
evidence of wind shear that they hoped would reduce the hurricane's intensity
before it makes landfall in southwest Florida.
For those in Mexico who endured two days of Wilma's howling winds and
torrential rains, the cleanup began on Sunday. Soldiers used bulldozers to clear
tree branches from roads. Residents waded through submerged streets to check
damage to homes or try to start flooded cars. Tourists tried to make
arrangements to return home.
Dennis Catesby, of Coventry, England, hiked from a downtown shelter back to
his hotel room with some friends to raid the minibar of beer and supplies. They
decided against staying at the hotel, though, and hiked back to the shelter,
stopping only to snap a photo in front of a smashed, roadside Jacuzzi.
"After three days in a shelter, it was minibar time for us," said Catesby,
who was married in Cancun on Monday. "The beer is going to be free today."
Fox toured damaged areas on Sunday and said he would ask lawmakers to budget
$1.1 billion in disaster relief funds for 2006, in part to help Mexico recover
from Wilma. He said his main priority was rebuilding roads and other
infrastructure to revive the country's $11 billion tourism industry, which took
a devastating blow.
It was unclear when the Cancun airport would be operating again, and many
hotels could take weeks — if not months — to repair.
As Mexico's military sent amphibious vehicles and federal police began
arriving to keep the peace, the U.S. Embassy dispatched consular officials to
shelters to help tourists prepare to leave. The U.S. government also offered
$200,000 in aid.
In Florida, meanwhile, residents streamed out of the Keys and coastal
communities under mandatory evacuation orders after officials posted a hurricane
warning for the southern part of the state. The Bahamas also issued a hurricane
warning for the northwestern part of the country.
Also Sunday, the Dominican Republic and Haiti received heavy rains when
Tropical Storm Alpha made landfall, then later weakened into a tropical
depression. Days of rain from Wilma had already swollen rivers and saturated the
soil in the countries, prompting concerns about flash floods and mudslides.
Officials used the Greek alphabet to name Alpha — the record-setting 22nd
named storm of the Atlantic season — after running all the way through the 2005
storm name list. The hurricane season ends next month.
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